SPENCER, IA (Northwestiowanow) – A Spencer man is facing first-degree murder charges following a deadly assault late Tuesday night.
According to a report from the Spencer Police Department, at approximately 12:03 a.m. Wednesday, Spencer Police and medical personnel were dispatched to an alley in the 200 block of Grand Avenue for reports of an unconscious, bleeding male. Upon arrival, officers found 38-year-old Djay Joseph St. John Loudner of Spencer badly beaten. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Later that morning, at 6:37 a.m., police located and arrested 44-year-old Wade Cory St. John of Eagle Butte, South Dakota in connection with the murder.
According to a court affidavit, investigators retrieved surveillance footage from a nearby camera. The video reportedly showed St. John engaging in an altercation with Loudner that turned violent. After Loudner fell unconscious, St. John continued to kick him in the face repeatedly. The footage was instrumental in identifying St. John as the suspect.
St. John faces charges of first-degree murder, a Class A felony. He is currently being held at the Clay County Jail on a $750,000 bond.
The Spencer Police Department was assisted by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Clay County Medical Examiner’s Office, Spencer Ambulance, and Spencer Fire Department.
